Archives

Introducing… Channah! Channah is an amazing Wrapunzelista whose passion for wrapping shines through every conversation and photo. We hope you enjoy her story as much as we did!

Hey! I’m Channah and I’m a Jewish woman. I truly believe I will never “grow up.” I love being a child. I love playing games and having the freedom of fun and laughter that being a child gives me. Anything, from kicking a soccer ball around with my kids or having a water balloon fight to fingerpainting or making macaroni necklaces. I love being young at heart. The innocence of a child is so amazingly beautiful.

I was raised in a home where religion was not a thing we did. One thing I always knew, there is Someone up There and I want to know Him. I have always leaned more toward my Jewish heritage and beliefs. No matter what I did, I never felt whole. I never had that “choir of angels” AHA! moment that I somehow knew existed, but wasn’t sure where to find it. I always found great comfort and advice from the Old Testament (Tanakh). I have joined other holidays as a respect to a friend’s family and way of life, but I always held strong to my line of feeling. I was more than blessed to find that Judaism was my missing piece. Covering my hair sealed the deal and filled that need to feel closer to Him.

When I made my first attempt, I thought I would start small with a mennonite-style veil. Especially because it was summer! I decided to wear it only during prayer. One day, I rolled my hair into a bun and neatly tucked it under a white veil that I had accidentally placed too far forward. It was then that I realized I needed to go big to go Home! After finding Wrapunzel (Andrea specifically) on YouTube giving a tutorial on a basic regal wrap, I have felt so empowered and full of life. I had finally reached the Light my heart and soul sought. I have been a wrap and Wrapunzel addict since, ha ha!

I was searching for new wrap ideas when I saw a video of Naomi Rose teaching her version of the Duchess Wrap, I think? Either way, she kept referring to Andrea’s tutorial. I watched both. I tried both. I failed at both. But, I fell deeply in love with whatever I did when I messed up with Andrea’s tutorial! The veiled look, the elegance and respect for self and G-d just radiated out of me. It is my favorite style to wear, the Duchess and the Regal wraps. As for my tichels, I don’t think I could name an absolute favorite. I can say my Wendy Beret volumizer is nothing short of my personality. I like to wear it up a little higher than most, so it gets heavy and hard to hold. My secret is to use a Wrapunzel velcro velvet headband (1 size down) and place half over the velvet on my shaper and the other at the edge of my hairline. It holds so perfect that I don’t need to tie my tichels too tight.

I frequent all sites Wrapunzel, of course. I love seeing so many beautiful and strong women and the art they have created on their heads for their own reasons. I do typically try to match my tichel with some part of my outfit, or contrast it with a flattering combo of colors. Some days I start with a scarf, some days I start with an article of clothing. No matter what, the mitzvah is sincere and is less vane than it is spiritually cleansing and gratifying.

I used to color my super curly hair a bright bold red, I loved it and it was me. But with a ponytail or bun. Always. I would spend the time and money on a hair color I loved, but hair I never felt comfortable showing off. After wrapping, I don’t feel “normal” if my head isn’t covered. I feel exposed and like I want to hide. Covering lets me want to be seen so I can share the Light within me.

To be proud of my heritage or my tichels, it is very easy for myself, but other people make it hard to walk through life feeling safe. The Jewish community where I live tend to stay to themselves, it’s rare to see a tichel and I’m often mistaken for a Muslim woman with a Hijab. I’m ok with that, Islam is a beautiful faith. There were times when my safety was in question and I realized the human wall that stood around me, as if to keep the unkind from getting near me. I have never felt community or humanity the way I have since wearing tichels.

The biggest lessons I have learned since starting my wrap journey are self respect and self love. I am of His image and I feel, for me, this is my honor to Him for giving me the blessings He has given. I can tell covering has made an impact in my sense of self worth by the responses I get from my community. Such praise for how beautiful my wraps are or how my walk has purpose and confidence. I have had amazingly beautiful women twice my age say they wished they had as much spirit as I have. I smile and tell them to smile, it will change their life. I offer words of kindness in return and go on my way. Strangers that would probably never speak to another stranger in public, if that isn’t His love and joy giving me a big hug then I don’t want to think it anything else!

If you are new to tichels, hijabs, or just covering for fashion- find a good scarf that feels comfortable in your hands. If you want to go full in, I would start with a Signature or Classic shaper and a headband. Get a nice soft cotton or cotton blend that is easy to work with and has some give, but not too much. Be prepared to find muscles in your arms you didn’t know were there. Most importantly, stay patient and stay with purpose. There is no right or wrong way, unless you are unhappy. Then its wrong. I am not at all a fan of the colors purple or blue. However, I have green eyes and I know purple makes my eyes really shine bright. So, when I really feel life and purpose and want to share it, I wear a purple tichel or combo with purple in it. I had a few friends say how great I look in blue, so I got blue tichels! My slate blue Cranberry tichel is one of my go-to scarves. My absolute go-to is a name I can’t remember. But if I’m running late or not feeling well, or even if I have to wrap quickly without a mirror, that was my first Wrapunzel tichel and I cannot imagine I would be this far if not for that one.

Each living being is beautiful in it’s own way. Grass, trees, bugs, people, dirt, etc. We all have a purpose and even when life feels like you’re failing, remember that you are not failing! You are learning and take from it the blessings it leaves you with. We are all unique and in our vast array of life on this Earth, it takes only one second to see the good and let it overtake the bad.

My favorite quote is one that I received as my first Wrapunzel inspiration card. I had tried my best to put this emotion into words, and there it was. “Kindness is not a random act, it’s a lifestyle.” How motivational is that!? I am hoping to do some tutorials for others to see, I think it will be interesting to watch because I seriously have no clue what to do! So, we shall see. For now, I have discovered I love selfies and have compiled some of my favorite shots and styles.

I will end this “brief” bio with my favorite tagline- Have an amazing day and don’t forget to wear your smile!

Share share share!! Help others shine from the inside out!

Like this:

I am so excited to introduce you to Cate! Cate is an amazing Wrapunzelista whose stunning wraps and style are an inspiration. She radiates joy, and I can’t wait for y’all to learn a little about her!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi beautiful ladies! I’m Cate! I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I’m married to my absolute best friend and love of my life and we have two adorable cats! I’m about to start nursing school – wish me luck! I became religious around 18 and I have a bunch of tattoos (battle scars as my family calls them). I’ve ALWAYS been fascinated with hair covering! Some hobbies are reading, studying (I know I’m weird like that), for suuuuuure playing around with all my scarves, learning anything related to Judaism and anything that will help me grow as an individual

What led you to start covering your hair with tichels and when did you start doing so?

There was this stunning Muslim girl in one of my classes who wore a turban perfectly wrapped and it was so regal I couldn’t help but stare. When I first started wrapping my hair I was in love but I would also get frustrated easily because I’m seriously a perfectionist and this craft definitely takes a lot patience! Now that it has been quite some time since I’ve started (I think it’s been close to a year), I’m a lot more confident with my techniques and feel a little bit braver to leave my comfort zone and try new styles that I normally would never go for. A memorable moment was the first time a stranger complimented how stunning my wrap was when I was feeling kinda self conscious! I don’t really remember how I found Wrapunzel but a friend recommended I join the community group on Facebook so of course I couldn’t move quick enough!

What inspires your head coverings?

Have you always been this creative? I get a lot of inspiration from old Hollywood stars, anything that is regal, and a lot of the beautiful ladies in the Facebook group! I’ve had a bit of creativity but it really shines when it comes to wrapping

Please tell us about your style – how do head coverings help you express your personality?

I have such a weird style that it’s hard to put it into words! A little bit old school, a little minimal but mostly all over the place haha! My wraps are very different and funky but almost basic so I guess that explains me! Do you match your head scarf to your outfit or the other way around? I tooooottally match the outfit based on which scarf I’m in the mood for! What are your favorite colors and styles to wear? I love love love like dusty rose, greys, blues, purples, and earth tones! My favorite styles are probably Shira tails, the Marrakesh turban (a new found love), anything with twists, and a basic turban with angled front!

What is your favorite tichel?

There is absolutely no favorite tichel, it’s impossible to choose! I love each scarf for its own uniqueness

PLEASE share with us your tichel tying tips and tricks!

So some tricks that have worked would be wearing a wig grip underneath your shaper, the further forward you pull your shaper and scarf the better the whole wrap stays, if you show hair try changing up your part style, it gives the wrap a whole different look.

How has your life changed since starting to cover?

Covering with scarves has promoted a lot of growth in regards to my love and intentions for the mitzvah of hair covering (with every new style I fall more and more in love with hair covering) which has then led to the increase in confidence and understanding of my position in the world. What are some of the most important hair covering lessons you’ve learned over the years? I’d have to say to take it slow, baby steps. If you overwhelm yourself when you’re not truly ready for something you may resent it and not want any part of it (unfortunately I’ve been there).

Have you had any cool experiences or realizations since starting to cover?

I think some cool experiences were things like unexpected people asking me to show them how I did that particular wrap. Or the times when I’ve spotted a fellow wrapper in the wild! I actually have had some amazing realizations since covering and covering with scarves. If you’re a good and mindful person with pure intentions and always kind, it transforms you and the light shines out from within and is displayed across your face which then totttallllyyy enhances the wrap or whatever your choice of hair covering! Also, you shouldn’t (I know it’s really hard) give a damn about what anyone thinks of you! There are always going to be haters and people who make comments or stare but you keep being the queen that you are!

What recommendations would you make to someone just starting to learn how to tie?

For all my fellow perfectionist ladies, be patient, and don’t give up! It can be frustrating sometimes and tichel tantrums are soooooo real but just breathe! Also learn the fabrics that work best for you, some are easier than others. Jersey fabrics are a great one to start with because they’re super stretchy and easy to manipulate.

Any inspiring words for the ladies on the Wrapunzel blog?

Absolutely! Remember we are all royalty and we should always treat each other and more importantly our selves, as such so always always always be kind! Wear your crown and stand tall my darlings!

What are you grateful right now?

Omg literally everything! I’m constantly aware of the things I should be grateful for because it’s so much! My husband, my vision, breath in my body, this wonderful community of women, EVERYTHING!

Share share share!! Help others shine from the inside out!

Like this:

I am so excited to introduce you to Leorah, a stylist and makeup artist who is taking the modest fashion and headwrapping world by storm! She is just as exciting in person as her creations: check out her interview and amazing photos!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Some interesting facts, where you’re from, how you spend your time, hobbies, etc.?

My name is Leorah Hallel Goldberg. I’m 38 years old, I’m married for 14 years and I’m a mother of seven children (ages ranging between 11 and 2). We have four boys and three girls, including two sets of twins. I was born and raised in Germany and decided to immigrate to Israel at the age of 20. By profession I am a registered nurse. Back in Germany my hobby used to be horseback riding, but I haven’t been able to do that in many years. I’m just too busy with all the demands of a very large family and besides that starting to build my own career as a makeup artist and stylist. In the last year I’ve started modelling and running accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter about my latest looks. At the end of April I started a YouTube Channel about Beauty and Lifestyle with three uploads weekly which I really love.

What led you to start covering your hair with tichels and when did you start doing so?

As I am a religious jewish woman I started covering my hair on the day after my wedding. In the beginning I wore small caps with my long hair showing underneath, but I was never happy with it. A friend encouraged me to try out wearing a tichel and that was the beginning of my tichel-journey. I remember the first time I put one on how good it felt. From then on I never had a question anymore if that is the right way for me to cover my hair. In the beginning I put it on only when I left the house. Once my first child grew a bit older and started to ask questions I decided to cover all the time (from the time before my kids get up in the morning till after they have gone to bed). Now, wearing tichels has become so much a part of me and my style that I couldn’t imagine to go without, even if religion wasn’t an issue. I remember the first time I wore a tichel to the office where I worked back then. I came through the door, my boss looked me up and down, gave me a pitiful smile and said: ‘Wow, you really look like a cleaning lady…’ That was not a nice experience. I found Wrapunzel through a nice young woman I met at fundraising dinner for a charity organization for terror victims. We started talking, she commented on how beautiful my tichels were and recommended Wrapunzel to me.

What inspires your head coverings? Have you always been creative?

I’m very inspired be the colors I find in nature. There are just no limitations on combining colors and patterns in nature, for example if you just think about the hundreds of different kinds of butterflies or flowers… I have always been creative, I just wasn’t aware of it as much as I am now. I’ve always crochet or painted or played instruments, which is all about being creative. Only now through the modeling I really started to see what is possible.

Please tell us about your style — how do your head coverings help you express your personality?

I used to wear only dark colors because I thought that being religious meant dressing that way, that it is immodest to wear anything that will draw attention to me. Eventually I broke free from all that and from on there were just no limitation for me anymore. I was discovered as a model for modest fashion and that’s when I stepped out of my own protective bubble and tried how far I can go with my own creativity.

I started to use a volumizer and just created on my head whatever I felt like and wanted. No rules is my only rule. Everything is allowed as long as it doesn’t slip or slide. I see my tichels as part of my design when I’m creating my outfits for my fashion blog. They complete the look in so many ways and I’m so glad to have that tool.

What is your favorite tichel?

I have no answer for this question, because I feel different every day and feel colors and materials differently every day. I love to be able to turn myself every day into a whole new person using my clothes, makeup and tichels. It’s all art and a way to express my emotions and needs in a new way every day. Plus, I do have a very large collection of different shapes and sizes of tichels for winter and for summer. Not that one needs that but it is largely a result of the fact that when I was obese, for years there was nothing else I could easily buy without having an issue of it not fitting me. So when I felt like shopping I usually bought tichels.

In the very beginning it was hard for me, because in the whole family I’m the only one covering my with tichels and the only one who is covering her head all the time. I went from feeling insecure about it to feeling proud of it and making it into ‘my thing’, giving it my spin. Ever since, I have been getting enormous amounts of positive feedback (online, but also when I’m just outside meeting random people on the street) and that is a wonderful experience.

What recommendations would you make to someone who is just starting to learn how to tie?

-Don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect, there is no perfect. We are all on the way.

-Don’t just copy others. Get inspired by others and create your own way.

-Be bold and sparkle. Turn your tichel into your crown.

-Realize that different ways to tie work better or less good with different face shapes.

-Not all colors work for your skin tone. Try to find a balance that works for you.

Any inspiring words for the ladies on the Wrapunzel blog?

I’m beyond glad I got introduced to this wonderful, loving and supportive community. I’ve made amazing friends in such a short time and I’ve received so much love here. I just want to thank everyone for that.

What are you grateful for right now?

I’m grateful that I can finally live my dream of building my business as a makeup artist and stylist and as well as building my YouTube Channel and my fashion blogs on social media. And I am grateful for the support of my husband Gabriel, who believes and invests in me.

Share share share!! Help others shine from the inside out!

Like this:

We’ve already heard her thoughts on the Wrapunzel Fangroup and how it allows her to cope with her job, but Rivka has so much more to say about wrapping. There are too many good quotes here to pick just one so just… read on… and prepare to be moved ❤

By Rivka Spicer

I guess this post has been a long time coming. It’s something I get asked about frequently and while I’ve explained bits and pieces here and there, I don’t think I’ve ever actually sat down and compiled the whole list of reasons.

The first thing you should understand about wrapping is that it’s a journey. Everyone has a simple reason for starting. For about half of the women I know, it’s a religious thing. Maybe a quarter are Jewish, the rest are a mixture of Muslim and various Christian denominations. Another quarter do it for health reasons (and in that number I include those whose hair grew back and they carried right on because they enjoy it). The final quarter are like me – those who do it for reasons that don’t fit neatly into a box. Whatever the reason for starting, it soon turns into something that touches many aspects of your life. The reasons I had 18 months ago aren’t the same reasons I have now and probably won’t come close to encompassing the reasons I’ll have 18 months from now.

When I started it was because I missed my long hair. I’d had it all cut off and donated it to charity and while I like my short hair and think it looks good, I missed the creative outlet of being able to do fun stuff. I tried different things, like synthetic dreadlocks because they were fun and colourful, but I kept coming back to wrapping. I like the aesthetic of it and I see it as an art form. It takes an eye for colour, pattern and design. There’s a skill to it, a learning of layering and knots. It’s a creative outlet that I enjoy because I think it speaks to who I am inside – full of wild colour and fun. I like the challenge and the fabrics and all the fun stuff that goes with it.

For me, it very quickly became as much about the community as it was about the creativity. The wrapping community I’m in is amazing. My main active group is a spin-off from the company Wrapunzel who supply scarves and accessories. It was a whole new experience for me – I’d never seen that many women in one place just radiating so much positivity and kindness and warmth. It became a big part of my day to go through all the pictures of daily wraps along with snippets of the stories that go with them and tell these women how beautiful and strong and amazing they are. The thing with the wrapping community is that what you put into it comes back to you a hundred-fold. Very quickly, pictures I was posting were garnering 100+ likes with dozens of comments, telling me the same thing as I was telling others. You’re beautiful. You’re strong. You’re so inspiring. You’re valued.

When somebody tells you that enough times, you start to believe it. For the first time in my entire life, I feel beautiful. And strong. And inspiring. And valued. For someone that has struggled for so long with self-esteem issues and body image and self-destructive negativity, it’s a turnaround that’s almost miraculous. I am confident now. I’m learning to love myself. I’m learning to be authentic and true to myself without worrying all the time about how other people are judging me. I wear the clothes I want to wear because I want to wear them. I’m also learning to lead by example. Be kind to others – a few sweet words here and there cost nothing and the cumulative effect of them is staggering. Be bold with your scarves – try fun and new things and maybe inspire someone else to do the same.

The positive reinforcement I receive from within the community has given me a balance I’ve never had before. They’re good people. There are so many of them who work in service to others, who feed and shelter the homeless, who give to charity, and who are literally, every day, being the change they want to see in the world. I don’t talk much about my job but I work in the criminal justice system and sometimes it’s harrowing. I spend all day dealing with darkness and death and the lowest of human nature. It’s easy to believe that everyone is like that, especially when the news is just one long slide into apocalyptic misery these days. Whenever I start to feel like I’m slipping into that negative spiral, I can touch my wrap and think of my wrap sisters and it reminds me that there are so many good people out there. It brings me right back up and the giving of uplifting words is almost as powerful as the receiving of them. There are few things that make me feel as good as making other people feel loved and special and all it takes is a quick comment here and there. I can log in and within a few moments I’m smiling at something or other.

They’ve also been a support system to me. Recently I underwent a couple of minor procedures and then ended up in hospital for a few days. I live a long way away from my family and I was alone and scared and hurting and my wrap sisters did not fail me. Messages poured in as word spread, keeping my spirits up and encouraging me when it seemed like I wanted to die. Even women I didn’t know that well were checking in, telling me they were thinking of me, praying for me, wearing a wrap inspired by me in my honour…you name it, they were there with love and support and it filled my heart to bursting.

Aside from the community, wrapping has had a profound effect on other areas of my life. For one thing, it helps deal with my anxiety. The last few years have been horrendous for me, both in terms of ill health and financial devastation. Thanks to a house that wouldn’t sell and drained every reserve that I had, I was at rock bottom in monetary terms. There were months I couldn’t afford to pay my rent and only skipped through on the kindness of others. In January I was so sick I was actually feeling suicidal. I was done with hurting all the time. The thought of a future of always feeling like that without any cure or diagnosis was just too horrific to contemplate. I couldn’t face it. I’d decided that if I was still sick in a year I was going to end it. I wasn’t sleeping at night and I was constantly on edge with shredded nerves because even though the house was finally gone, I was still in debt, albeit manageable. I had panic attacks at 3 and 4 in the morning because my brain wouldn’t shut up.

It was around that time that I began wrapping full time in my free time because the sensation of it is both comforting and calming. There’s a massive body of evidence to suggest that it’s great for people who suffer from anxiety. I don’t know the science of it, although I have read articles about how it works on pressure points in the same way that doctors will prescribe heavy blankets for children suffering from anxiety attacks. I’ve also read that it reduces external electromagnetic interference on the brain. If you believe in such things as empathic energy, I have heard it said that it also blocks that. Whatever the reason, I can attest that it works. When I wrap I am calmer, less quick to panic and less easy to anger. Eventually the anxiety faded. I started to sleep properly again. I haven’t had a panic attack for months.

The more you hang around in the community, the more you learn about why people choose to wrap. For about 1/2 to 3/4 of the community, it’s to do with a concept of modesty. This appeals to me on so many levels. Hair is a powerful symbol in the universal subconscious. We associate long hair with youth and unmarried women. We associate messy hair as a sign of a terrible day. Women are constantly flipping their hair as a sign of attraction and availability in movies and TV shows and adverts. We play with our hair when we’re trying to appear shy and flirtatious. It’s the first thing people notice about me and it’s the first complaint I hear from people who don’t understand why I wrap – “You have such beautiful hair that it’s a shame to cover it”. Shame is an interesting word.

My choice to wrap is a powerful statement about my bodily autonomy. It’s a feminist statement. It’s a big “screw you” to the patriarchy.

We live in a society where men think it’s okay to dictate to women that they can’t cover on beaches, where page 3 glamour models are the norm, where kids are watching porn online as young as 9 years old, all of which is skewed towards the denigration of women. There’s this crazy perception that women who choose to wrap for religious reasons are oppressed somehow, like the covering of their hair reduces their power as a human being. It’s the other way around. We live in a society where we must appear available and beautiful and polished at all times, because the magazines say so, because the news says so, because the films say so, because the television says so.

I say stuff that. I’m never going to be a size 6 with luminous skin and I don’t see why I should follow any societally normative standards of beauty made up by some editor in New York who wouldn’t know me from Eve, because I am more than a pretty hairstyle and a yearning to ‘fit in’. I am a brain and a heart and an explosion of colour and crazy and fun.

You might think that I’m just one of those bra-burning feminist fanatics that spouts these things from a place of idealist fervour but for me it’s a much deeper and more powerful thing. You see, I’m a survivor of domestic abuse. I’m not ashamed of it and I’ve talked openly about it, although more about my recovery than the details of what happened.

I know how it feels to be isolated from my family and friends. I know how it feels to be driven into the ground financially to subsidise a controlling partner’s lifestyle, which he enjoyed without me. I know how it feels to be held down by the throat and violated again and again. I know how it feels to have my own body turned against me and I know how it feels to be broken.

I’ve come a long way since then and I’m one of the success stories. I’m strong and kind and loving and happy and I won’t shy away from saying that I’m a better person for having been through it. I am. That said, there are some scars that can’t be healed by extensive counselling and 700 miles of distance and 6 years of learning to love again.

To me, my wraps are a symbol of my healing, of my bodily autonomy, of my right to decide who has access to my body, even if it’s only visually. It’s part of the process of reclamation that most survivors go through. We take our bodies, these vessels of so much pain, and we try to teach them how to be vessels of pleasure instead because it’s the only way we can be whole again. In the same way that each part of my body has been reclaimed through loving acts, so too will I reclaim my image by crowning it with something beautiful that’s wholly mine. I will take this head that made me think I was worthless and forced me into denial and made excuses for things that were inexcusable and make it a thing of striking beauty, because that is who I am now.

Now that there’s a man in my life again, choosing to unwrap around him is a powerful thing. It’s a statement of trust, something that’s both intimate and fun. We’ve made a game of it – I come up with something fiendishly clever and he tries to figure out how to undo it. He gets tangled up and we laugh about it. There’s really something to be said for keeping something aside just for the person you care about. It becomes a special thing between you. Because he is the only one that I voluntarily let stroke my hair, it can at times feel like an intimate gesture akin to a kiss or similar. I’m lucky in that he loves my wraps and thinks I’m as beautiful in them as I am without, but I feel in many ways that his is really the only opinion I should care about because outside of my family and closest friends he’s the only one that sees my vulnerabilities and cares about me anyway.

Finally, I adore the classic and retro aspect of it. There’s a common misconception that only religious women from the far or middle east wrap and I don’t really understand it. Head and hair wrapping is universal to every culture worldwide at some point in history, including western culture. Between the 20s and 60s, the turban was the ultimate in Hollywood glamour. There are amazing photos of film stars from the silver screen swanning around looking gorgeous in their sleek headcoverings, all jazzed up to the nines with accessories and pins. Probably the most universally recognised “wrapper” is Rosie the Riveter with her red and white turban. British women have been wrapping since the dawn of our civilisation, from simple cloth bonnets to the elaborate wimples and structural coverings of the Tudor era, through the hats and into the wraps of the 20th century. American women have been on the same journey. Right up until the 1950s, “proper” women still covered their hair when they went out. In choosing to cover my hair, I’m not doing anything groundbreaking or new. There’s no cultural appropriation here. In my favoured turban style, I’m just making a small nod to all the millions of women that have gone before me.

I think it’s easy to be scared in this world. I think it’s easy to shy away from the choices that we make about our appearance for the sake of avoiding confrontation and going with the flow. It’s easy to let everything and everyone instil a fear of persecution out of misunderstanding and misguided hate. But we can’t let a world of hate dictate to us who we should be. We can’t make our choices to compensate for the ignorance of others. What kind of message is that to send to our daughters and nieces and granddaughters and friends? You will never be an individual because you should try and fit in, just in case someone takes issue with what is unusual about you? No. Being authentic isn’t an easy choice. Letting your outsides match your insides isn’t an easy choice. Being different isn’t an easy choice, but it’s how we’re made – all of us. Different. I have never been a “normal” girl. It may have been quiet and unseen, but I have always danced to my own beat.

When I look in the mirror, I see radiance. I see positivity. I see a sisterhood of good and kind women. I see a powerful statement about my healing and recovery. I see my ancestors. I see the best of my creative flair and style.

Share share share!! Help others shine from the inside out!

Like this:

Have you met Liona? If you are a part of the Wrapunzel community and have been keeping up with our challenge posts, you’ve definitely seen her beautiful face! Here’s what you didn’t know about her:

This is Liona! Drumroll….

Liona is Wrapunzel’s official Spanish and Hebrew tutorial contributor! She has been making tutorials so we can reach even more women across the world! WOohoo! We are crazy about her beautiful voice, language skills, and caring touch that she brings to her teaching – check it out! (Even if you don’t understand, you will fall in love with how she speaks.) This is something that has been requested over and over, and we are so happy to finally be able to provide you with this amazing resource! Spread the word! Yay Liona!

Hebrew Tutorials:

Spanish Tutorials:

Check out our youtube channel regularly for more tutorials! WOohooo!! Welcome to the Wrapunzel Team, Liona!

Share share share!! Help others shine from the inside out!

Like this:

Now THIS is a story that will make your jaw drop. A story of coincidence (or how nothing is a coincidence), of the miracle of social media, and how you never know what your actions will mean for someone else, even years down the road. There are people that you meet, even if it’s briefly, that can have an impact on your life that is ever reverberating. I will let Stephanie’s poignant writing tell you the story of how we met, but let’s just say that it was a decade ago, back when I was Jew-“ish” with a capital “ISH”, wearing jeans, being a hair model (ironic, I know), and didn’t even know what a tichel was. Our in-person friendship was brief, taking place in the confines of this crazy elective that I decided to take, and while I had always remembered her warmth and laugh, I mostly remembered her thick, gorgeous hair. Here she is!

~*~

Stephanie!

“First things first, I just want to say how much an honor it is for me to write this and be featured as a Lady Wrap Star. I have been ‘lurking’ in the community pretty much since the beginning of Andrea’s blog and if you told me years ago I would be writing a post, I wouldn’t have believed it! So thank you to the Wrapunzel team and Andrea for having me.

To tell you about myself, is actually to tell you the story of my journey into wrapping seven months ago. I currently reside in British Columbia, Canada but I am originally from Ontario. I moved across the country in January for my dream job: Curator and Director of the Nisga’a Museum. Ever since I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be an archaeologist and one day, work in a museum. I grew up in the world of books, studying history, archaeology, science (eating up all of the fantasy and sci-fi literature I could get – Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Star Wars and Horror movies are still my life), mummifying Barbie’s in my back yard, and going to every museum I could convince my parents to take me to. It was the fall of my second semester of Near Eastern Archaeology in 2007 that I sat down in Biblical Hebrew 101 beside this really awesome, sunny and cheerful women named Andrea. At the time Andrea was at Wilfrid Laurier for music and taking the language as an elective (which I thought was crazy); it turns out we had a ton in common and before we knew it, we were study buddies and fast friends! She also went as Darth Maul for Halloween that year and won my admiration forever.

Beautiful British Columbia

After Andrea and I graduated we moved away and fell out of touch, but I still had her as a Facebook Friend. I lurked on her blog for years, reading her posts about her conversion and enjoying her journey. Her posts were always inspiring and I found the content really interesting so I kept reading. Time went on and there were suddenly beautiful videos about scarves and interesting wraps . . . and then a whole company, tutorials and an entire world of tichels I knew nothing about! I watched avidly through Andrea’s social media as Wrapunzel and the community surrounding it grew. I remember admiring the tichels and elaborate wraps and thinking of how much I enjoyed covering my hair for function when I was in the Middle East (for archaeology). But I told myself that I couldn’t do that, it would be disrespectful, I’m not religious, I’m not that talented or creative. I am not.

I am not. Until I moved across the country, until I was challenged to be my best self, to be successful and confident in my work and personal life, and then I suddenly couldn’t be ‘not’ anymore. It was also around this time that hormone changes from PCOS and the lack of my trusted stylist started to wreak havoc on my hair (and growing it out of a super short cut). My once thick curly hair was usually a frizzy, thin mess and I felt absolutely terrible about it, at a time that I had to feel amazing and confident every time I left the house. I was tired of fighting my hair every morning, I had disposable income for the first time and I just wanted to feel beautiful again.

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

So I signed onto to Wrapunzel and thought enough is enough. I re-watched a ton of video tutorials over and over. I watched the video about wearing a tichel ever if you are not Jewish and felt a resolve that had previously been buried in insecurity and self-doubt. I can and I will! There is no more can’t in my life. I made an account on the website and put in my first order: a Wendy, several THE Shimmery’s and 2 in 1’s. I obsessively tracked it and waited for it to arrive. When it did, I used my Emerald Green Shimmery/Wendy and did a Waterfall Twist, the very first video I had watched. Suddenly…
. . . .
I could breathe again. I felt beautiful. I felt in control of my femininity. I felt regal and confident and everything that I was hoping for and more. It was only a piece of material on my head, but it changed how I moved through the world. Though I only cover part time, I find myself reaching for my tichels more and more. I started with 5 and now I have close to 40 and an ever growing wish list. That first wrap was such a memorable moment for me because it reaffirmed everything I was feeling and I have only grown to love my tichels in ways I can’t describe. What inspired me to cover, was the desire to feel beautiful and it delivered that and so, so much more.

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

I have always been pretty picky with my personal style and colour choices. This has proven true for me in my tichel wearing life as well. I don’t consider myself super creative in my wraps or colour choices because I am still a beginner and am only just starting to ‘mess around’ and discover my own new wraps. All of my favorite wraps include tails. I love tails! They feel like having long luxurious hair all day and I love to play with them. I also love braids and crowns, because they make me feel like royalty. I am discovering angles are my friend and I am starting to love any sort of zig zag, incorporating that into wraps whenever I can. Colour wise I mostly stick to the greens, purples and blues mostly because I love them and how they make me feel. The more I do wrap though, the more I want to experiment and find a way to make every colour in the rainbow work! I usually pick a scarf before the outfit, but I have a lot of dark colours and blacks, so the majority of my clothes work with all of my scarves. I don’t really have a favorite scarf because I love them all (though make me choose and it would likely be my Emerald Green Shimmery because of that first wrap).

I’m still learning a bunch of tricks when it comes to tying, the longer I wear tichels the longer I learn there is ALWAYS something to new to discover. I will however, pass along something that has helped a lot as a beginner. I always take my scarves out the night before, lay them on my bedside table with all of my accessories. If it is a wrap I am not familiar with, then I will practice the night before as well. I find if you leave everything to the morning and it doesn’t want to work out, then you are on a time schedule and stressed. It makes the whole process seem very discouraging. If you are just learning, stick with it! Check out the most popular category on the Wrapunzel store, stock up on some basis, watch the tutorials over and over and just keep on trying!

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

If you keep trying, keep ‘tying’ and are thinking about taking up wearing a head scarf, do it! I am more confident, more self-actualized and more considerate of myself and my appearance. I take pride in my wraps and have upped my make-up and clothes to match them. Wrapping has given me control of my femininity; I decide what is beautiful and how I want to present that beauty to the world. It’s a powerful feeling to be in the driver’s seat again and it has ramifications throughout all of the areas of my life. Though I haven’t been covering that long, I do see how it has changed how I present myself and how confident I feel. Having that confidence to be my best self is helping me kick my job’s butt, helping me plan for a wedding and generally adding to the contentment and well-being of my day to day.

It sounds corny to say but I am very grateful for the entirety of my life right now. I am grateful for the peace I get from wrapping, the challenges of my career and the support and love of my fiancé. I truly do think that things happen for a reason, religious beliefs aside, and sometimes the path is so simple in hindsight (even if you can’t see it at the time). I didn’t know that Hebrew 101 would lead me to a wonderful woman, whose passion/calling in life would in turn change mine through the wonderful art of hair wrapping. I think my story and why I wrap, is one of those things that make you pause and really be grateful for the twists and turns on our path in life and the uncertainty, changes, and surprises that crop up while we walk through this world. Though it might be painful or not have an obvious benefit in the moment, those twists often lead to something wonderful. In the end, through Andrea, I have a wonderful community to share wraps with, have made amazing friends and tackled the upheaval of my life with a confidence I didn’t think I had in me. I might not remember any Hebrew, but I am super thankful for the path that class took me on and the wonderful, inspiring women I have met in turn. So Wrapunzel-Nation go forth and wrap boldly, because the world is only better when we all dare to be bold 😉

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Share share share!! Help others shine from the inside out!

Like this:

Meet Rivka S., British tichel maven. She not only wears incredible wraps, but is a beautifully eloquent writer, too! Recently, we were privilaged enough to read about her love of Wrapunzel’s incredibly diverse Facebookfangroup and just knew that we had to share it with YOU.

Enjoy, ladies!

“It’s hard to encompass what wrapping means to me in mere words, but it’s fair to say that the community aspect of it has altered my life profoundly. It is a very real sisterhood that provides comfort and support in even the most trying of times under the careful stewardship and guidance of the moderators, who work really hard to make sure it stays relevant and true to its focus of wrapping.

I have worked in the Criminal Justice System for nearly a decade now and, apart from a brief stint as a dispatcher, all of that has been spent working in major crimes. I deal with the worst of the worst – the murderers, the sex offenders, the fraudsters and the child abusers. My days are spent wading through the deepest, darkest depravities that humanity is capable of. It’s very difficult to do a job like this and not become jaded with cynicism and I see it all around me every day in the faces of my colleagues. When you only see the underbelly of civilisation, it becomes easy to always assume the worst of mankind as a species. While I believe with all my heart that justice is always, ALWAYS worth chasing, it’s fair to say that sometimes it can feel a little hollow. A guilty verdict and sentencing might satisfy our moral needs or desire for vengeance, but they don’t bring the dead back to life or unmake an event that derailed a survivor’s existence. There is always loss in our triumph, something worth grieving for even while we celebrate.

It crosses over into our personal lives too. I don’t think I’ll ever forget holding my nephew for the first time and feeling a gaping abyss of terror looming before me at the thought that the world was a horrible place and I would never be able to keep him safe from everything. Every horror story I’d worked through involving children cycled through my mind in that moment and it wasn’t a good feeling.

Before Wrapunzel, I tried to counteract the negativity of my professional life with little random acts of kindness, but the law enforcement community is small and tightly-knit and we’re all moving in the same circles, the same fish-eye view of the world. Small smiles change moments, not world views. Negative reinforcement is a powerful thing.

When I started wrapping, it was about my confidence. I’d donated all my hair to charity and was struggling with my shorter locks. I felt like I’d lost some feminine part of me. I had no idea that it would be a gateway to one of the most awe-inspiring and loving communities that I will ever experience in my life.

The women of the Wrapunzel fangroup are diverse. We come from hundreds of different cultures, faiths, backgrounds and walks of life, and if you think that a fondness for pretty scarves is all we have in common…well, you’d be wrong.

I have never met such an incredible group of warm, loving, broad-minded and beautiful people. They stagger me on a daily basis with their openness, generosity and capacity for love. I share things with my Wrapunzel sisters that I don’t share with anyone outside of the group because it’s the only place I know where I can express who I am and all my fears and sorrows without any fear of judgement. The group is carefully moderated to ensure that all posts relate to head wrapping, but that can encompass why you chose a certain style, colour or scarf, such as when I had surgery recently and needed something that would stand up to an hour flat on my back. I asked for practical advice and received it in spades, along with an outpouring of love and well wishes. When I shared a wrap that had three generations of love in it – a pin from my grandmother, a sash from my mother and a scarf of my own – it opened a discussion on how the people we love share in our wrapping. The small kindnesses, the comments on a daily wrap to say it’s pretty or how it suits the wearer, have a cumulative power.

To me, the Wrapunzelistas represent everything that is the best of humanity. As I said recently in the group, there’s a quiet, indomitable goodness here that transcends any differences (of culture) we may have. Their willingness to send prayer or kind wishes in a thousand tongues and a hundred faiths to anyone that needs comforting is astonishing, if only for its ordinariness in the community. All are welcome. All are lifted up in the radiance of their positivity. Every day I see these small kindnesses, I can see that we are united in our hope for a better world. There are hundreds of volunteers, people who give to charity, those who care for the sick and needy. Every day there’s a tale of selflessness or altruism caught up in a swathe of fabric, a sweet story that we can all relate to on some level.

For me, joining the group was the balance that was sorely needed in my life. I no longer view humanity as broken beyond repair because I know now that there are a huge number of good, kind and wonderful people out there. They are the yang to the yin of humanity, the visible proof of light in the darkness. I feel honoured to be a part of this community and it has changed me. It’s one of the joys of my day to look at everyone’s wraps and hear about their day and tell them that I’m thinking of them and wish them well, as well as how beautiful I think they are, as I am told by them.

When I wrap, I feel surrounded by the love of my Wrapunzel sisters. It gives me strength and confidence and I think it makes me better at my job. The daily positive reinforcement is a reminder that what I do has purpose, that justice isn’t a losing battle. There are people, good people, all over the globe that rely on us to make the world a safer place.

My job may lead me through the darkest of times, but, with the love of my sisters, my head and heart will always be wreathed with light.”

Share share share!! Help others shine from the inside out!

Like this:

Post navigation

Wrapunzel Wrapunzel, Wrap up your hair!

Welcome to the Wrapunzelution Blog! My name is Andrea Grinberg, and I am psyched that you've found your way here! Take a look around, especially at the top bar and catagories below: tutorials, videos, FAQs, recommendations, and women from all over the world being featured on this site! Ask your most pressing hair covering questions - nothing is beyond the ladies of Wrapunzel! Oh, and did you know that we now have a store at wrapunzel.com? How cool! Be in touch and add your voice to the conversation. Can't wait to hear from you!
Lots of love!